In medicine, an intravenous is a catheter placed into a peripheral vein in order to administer medications or fluids to a patient in need. An intravenous catheter may also be used to draw blood.
The catheter is introduced into the patient's vein by an introducer needle that is positioned within the lumen of the catheter, such that a sharpened tip of the needle is exposed beyond the distal tip of the catheter. The sharpened tip punctures the skin and vein of the patient to provide a pathway through which the distal tip of the catheter may be advanced. Once the catheter tip is placed into the vein, the needle tip is withdrawn into the catheter; a technique commonly referred to as “hooding”. The catheter and needle are then advanced into the vein to a desired depth, after which the needle is entirely removed from the catheter. The catheter is then secured to the patient's skin by an adhesive strip or wrapping.
Generally a catheter is coupled to a catheter adapter having a blood control device, such as a valve or septum. As such, blood flowing through the catheter is retained within the catheter adapter until the blood control device is actuated or otherwise manipulated to permit flow through the catheter and catheter adapter.
An extension tube generally comprises a flexible section of tubing having a first end that is configured to compatibly couple to a catheter or catheter adapter, and further comprises a second end that may be accessed directly by a syringe or needle, or may be further coupled to an intravenous bag by a section of intravenous tubing. As a common practice, an extension tube is coupled to the catheter adapter following placement of the catheter. In some instances, a clinician may be required to manually occlude the patient's vein and/or the catheter while simultaneously attaching an extension tube thereto. In other instances, a clinician must take care to immobilize the catheter and/or catheter adapter while attaching the extension tube to prevent accidental removal of the inserted catheter. Further, in many instances a clinician is required to sterilize the mating ends of the catheter adapter and the extension tube prior to making the connection, thus adding an additional step to the procedure.
Thus, although methods and devices currently exist for accessing the vasculature of a patient via a catheter and an extension tube, challenges still remain. Accordingly, the features of the present invention address and overcome these challenges.